Transition

Information for Parents and Carers – September 2025 cohort

We would like to extend a very warm welcome to all prospective parents / carers and their children. Throughout the course of the year we will be working with all of our feeder primary schools and your children to prepare them for life at Kepier.

We would like to take the opportunity to meet you and will be attending events at primaries throughout the year.

• Parents and Carers are able to access information regarding their child’s allocated school

• Deadline for Parents and Carers to accept the place offered at the allocated school.

• Appeals forms to be submitted to Governance Services (if applicable).
• Appeals will be heard between May and July 2025.

---

Key contact information

If you would like to speak to a member of staff, about a specific query, the contact details of key staff are listed below:

• Mrs Crompton (Year Manager): cromptond@kepier.com
• Mrs King (SEND): kingk@kepier.com
• Mrs Preece (Safeguarding): preecem@kepier.com

Alternatively, you can call our main reception on 0191 5128960. The office opening times are:

Monday – Thursday: 8am -4pm

Friday: 8am – 3.30pm

---

Parent and Learner Visits week commencing 7th July 2025

For those parents who have expressed an interest in visiting Kepier during the school day for a guided tour (via completing the Information form listed above), the allocated appointment times will be confirmed to you by email .

There will be samples of uniform from Emblematic, Kepier’s uniform supplier, available onsite during these visits enabling pre-ordering.

---

Parents’ Evenings July 2025

Kepier will be hosting two parents’ evenings starting at 5.00pm on Tuesday 8th and Wednesday 9th July. Access to the building will be from 4.30pm, parents will be informed of their chosen event and advised that parking is limited.

Kepier will admit 230 learners into the September 2025, year 7 intake. We are not recruiting into the Elite Football Academy programme this year, all learners who are offered a place at Kepier will follow our mainstream curriculum pathway.

As a result, we have removed Children selected on the basis of aptitude from our oversubscription criteria (criteria 2). Admissions will now ranked on the following criteria:

1. ‘Child in Care’ – a child who is looked after by a Local Authority, in accordance with Section 22 of the Children’s Act 1989 or a child who was looked after, but ceased to be so, because of adoption (or become subject to a residence order or special guardianship order)
2. Attendance in Key Stage 2 (age 7-10+) at a designated cluster junior or primary school namely:
   1. Bernard Gilpin
   2. Burnside
   3. Dubmire
   4. East Rainton
   5. Gillas Lane
   6. Newbottle
   7. Shiney Row
3. A sibling link – an older brother/sister or older child (including adoptive and step children) that share the same parent/carer and lives at the same address, who will be attending Kepier at the time of admission.
4. Exceptional medical or psychological reasons – you must include a medical or psychological report, prepared by a professional, to confirm information that you include in the section.  This report should explain why only Kepier could meet your child’s medical or psychological needs.  Common childhood medical conditions such as asthma or giving a child’s nervousness at starting a new school as a psychological reason for choosing a particular school are unlikely to be accepted as exceptional.  If you intend to use this criterion when expressing a preference, please contact the School Admissions Team before completing the application form.  Eligibility under this category will be considered by a meeting of the Learning Matters Trust. 
5. Pupils for whom preferences are expressed on grounds other than those outlined above.
6. Within each of the above, places will be offered on the basis of distance from the centre of the home address to the main entrance of Kepier.  Distance is measured by the shortest safest walking distance, using a geographical information system (GIS), with priority being given to those learners that live closest to Kepier. 

Below are some quotes from parents and carers from Transition Programme.